


Harry Potter and the Kept Secret

by missipenix



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Fidelius Charms, Gen, Kid Fic, Prequel
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-01-02
Updated: 2019-01-02
Packaged: 2019-10-02 12:24:42
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 2,909
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17264174
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/missipenix/pseuds/missipenix
Summary: James and Lily Potter died leaving their fifteen month old son an orphan.  Found in the rubble of a once happy cottage by a suspicious Godfather, Harry Potter is raised in secret by one of the only two people in the world who know where to find him.  The other?  He's a rat hiding the room of a young boy, expecting to see headlines proclaiming his guilt any day now.  Meanwhile the world is toasting a toddler as The Boy Who Lived, and none of the people in charge can find him; or the man they wrongly assume is responsible for his orphaned state.





	1. The Secret Is Only Kind Of Revealed

**Author's Note:**

> I've always wondered how Hagrid and Dumbledore (and, later, the entire Wizarding World and Snape) knew where to find baby Harry immediately after the elder Potter's deaths. Peter would have to be the one who told them because (as we learn in DH) the death of the Secret Keeper reveals the Secret, not the death of the house's occupant. So this is my version of a Fix-It-Fic. I am an American and am likely to use Americanisms because I am hungover and honestly can't be bothered at the moment. Happy 2019.

Sirius Black shut off his bike, staring at his best friend's house in horror.  After a moment of shocked staring Sirius bolted toward the teetering structure, ignoring the way his beloved motorcycle crashed to the ground; his Godson's cries rang within the confines of the Fidelius Charm, proving that the normally quiet and happy baby had been crying for quite some time.  He didn't let himself look too closely as he jumped over the familiar body at the foot of the rickety staircase, or at the one he had to lean over in order to pick up and comfort the hysterical toddler.  After carefully navigating back outside Sirius began with the basics, summoning diapers and cleaning cloths from the house; Harry was bleeding, which needed to be addressed, and his sensitive skin made the toddler prone to diaper rash if left wet for too long.  Aguamenti only went to far toward cleaning the dust and blood off the poor baby but Sirius wasn't willing to put it off; the belatedly remembered diaper bag shrunken in the saddlebag of his bike provided warm clothing and a charmed bag of cereal for his Godson's snack.  A proper meal could wait until Sirius figured out what to do next.

 

The blood came from a strange cut on his forehead that gradually stopped bleeding but was in a strange shape and looked rather ominous.

 

A sudden deluge of Apparation grabbed Sirius' attention, when brought about his next revelation; his repeated attempts to reveal his location failed.  Peter was still alive then.  Alive and well, even, because if he'd been incapacitated then the Fidelius charm would have defaulted to everyone who knew the secret, which was only Sirius.  The Aurors searching for the house were chatty as they worked, allowing Sirius to come to the conclusion that he had been set up somehow.  Worse still, it appeared that he'd been set up by _Dumbledore_ of all people.  Hagrid was there, someone that Sirius thought of as a friend, bellowing up and down the (mostly muggle) street that Sirius was just like the rest of the Blacks and had, according to Dumbledore, betrayed the Potters.  Of the Aurors present (colleagues, the miserable bastards) only Amelia Bones protested the order for immediate extradition to Azkaban without a trial.

 

Sirius knew then that he could never leave Godric's Hollow.  Not if he wanted to raise his Godson properly, as he'd promised James and Lily that he would.


	2. Seeking Safety

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> How do you plan for the future when the present is falling apart in front of you?

Peter Pettigrew had gone to Sirius' flat in the hopes of silencing the idiot before he could betray Peter to the Aurors (completely ignoring the fact that the only betrayer in his situation was in fact Peter himself).  He'd waited for hours for the man to return home only to fly into a panic when, instead of the one Auror he awaited, an entire Squadron arrived; in his panic Peter only heard his name and Sirius' before Apparating away.  Panicked Apparation was never advised solely because of the risk of splinching oneself, which Peter did.

 

His left index finger on the floor of Sirius Black's kitchen, found when the Aurors in the front room heard the distinct sound of Apparation, would prove vital to Amelia Bones' case to absolve Sirius Black of wrong doing.  Unfortunately for Sirius and Amelia both, it would take ten years and a new Minister before that case could be heard.  It also caused the fifteen Aurors present to review their understanding of the situation and silently vow to stand with their teammate who was clearly being wrongfully persecuted.  None of these Aurors would report to Godric's Hollow, but they _would_ report their findings to Amelia Bones, whom they assumed would be the next Head of their Department.  They knew well enough that Crouch didn't care about his men at all, so they sent their official reports and kept their real investigation in-house.

 

* * *

 

 

Sirius ignored the Aurors he could not trust to help him, focusing on the immediate future.  They had to stay here, but could not use the house in its' current condition.  A quick check of the garden shed on the basis of a half forgotten memory revealed a tent; being a magical tent it could be used as a home indefinitely, but Sirius was determined to somehow rebuild the cottage and give his Godson a proper childhood.  A moderately sized greenhouse would keep them in veg and apples, so long as Sirius kept it up, and there were chickens for eggs and the occasional meal.  There was a lot they didn't have but it was a start; Sirius could work with a start.  After laying a sleeping Harry on the 'master' bed, which he spelled to heaven and back for safety, Sirius turned his attention back to the house.

 

There were things he needed to do before he could sleep, and he needed to do them quickly because he knew full well how early Harry liked to rise.

 

*****

 

The first thing Sirius did was cast the appropriate spells on James, then Lily, that would preserve them until he could properly lay them to rest.  Next he went to the box room and retrieved the Moving Trunk, which was really just a trunk filled with dozens of tiny other trunks; most, Sirius knew, contained the belongings of James or Lily's parents, with which his friends hadn't yet been prepared to deal.

 

Now Sirius would have to, for Harry's sake.

 

After verifying that there were several trunks available (and there were over a dozen, which made things easier) Sirius stood in the master bedroom, taking a long last look and saying his goodbye.  One trunk sat on the floor near the door and Sirius began casting, first to organize all of the clothing and secure any loose items into drawers and such, then to send the furniture neatly into the trunk.  That trunk labeled itself as belonging to James and Lily Potter, Master Bedroom, and slotted itself into place in the master trunk.  A trip to the linen closet brought out two quilts, wedding gifts from the Potter's and a disgruntled Petunia, which were laid on the floor of the master bedroom.  James and Lily were brought in to rest in the otherwise empty room, the quilt from Petunia laying over them in a gesture of respect.

 

Sirius suddenly wondered who would break the news to Petunia; someone had to, as no matter how awful she'd been she was still Lily's sister and deserved that respect.  She'd hated Lily, and blamed her for their parents' deaths, but she'd still brought a thoughtful gift to Lily's wedding, standing as her matron of honor after Petunia's husband gave Lily away, just as Lily stood with Petunia at her own wedding.  She'd invited James and Lily to her son's Christening and had attended Harry's Naming with her own child; her husband had been ill that day, and had gone into the hospital only a few days later, where Lily and James had joined a distraught young wife and cared for her son while they awaited answers.  Sirius hoped someone had the decency to tell Petunia before he found a way to prove his innocence and came out of hiding; having no idea how long it would take, though expecting to count the time in years, Sirius could hardly face the idea of having to do it himself afterward.

 

Sirius closed the door to the master bedroom and that line of thought.

 

A quick charm sent the contents of the linen closet into a trunk, which was then moved to the guest bedroom (which held more than half of Sirius' own wardrobe).  A second trunk gathered the knickknacks, artwork, and other such things (like small decorative tables and shelves) from the hall; this trunk Sirius sent to the living room.  The clothing, bedding, and personal items organized themselves into the trunk of linens, which then shot off to Harry's nursery, while yet another trunk filled itself with the remainder of the guest room's contents; after a moment's thought Sirius added the remainder of the box room before slotting that trunk into place as well.  It took Sirius several minutes, and more than a few tears, to start on Harry's room.

 

The crib linens went straight out the door.

 

Harry's clothes were easily packed, with the linens trunk labeling itself and slotting away as Sirius pulled another trunk; everything that wasn't ruined beyond repair packed itself away, including a peculiar yew wand that Sirius knew didn't belong to anyone in this house.

 

*****

 

The living room easily packed away into the trunk with the hall decorations save those few curios Sirius stashed in Harry's nursery trunk, and the kitchen furniture fit easily as well.  The usable kitchen things and food went into one final trunk and Sirius looked around; it was strange and uncomfortable for this house to be silent, but Sirius could think of nothing to say.  It was a silent man who made his way from the rear door to the tent in the garden, absently dodging Aurors who couldn't see him because the Charm still held.  He needed to get the food into the proper storage cupboards in the tent if he didn't want it going off, and likely refresh any charms on the food itself since they would have ended with the death of their castor.  Grieving would come in the future; it was best to remain pragmatic for now until he had a plan.  Harry needed pragmatism.

 

Sirius crawled into Harry's bed once he was finished, curling around the only family he had left.

 

* * *

 

 

Peter had taken his Animagus form immediately upon arrival in this unknown place, moving quickly toward what was clearly a magical structure.  He could scavenge for food, and any news would be easily overheard here.  It took only a few days before he was saved from garden gnomes by a cheerful ginger boy, who gifted him to a little brother.  Peter recognized Arthur and Molly Weasley from the Order and, over time, learned that the boy he now 'belonged to' was called Percy.


	3. Two Years Later

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Two years have gone by, allowing Peter to fall into false security. Sirius, meanwhile, openly a fugitive and kidnapper, has found allies in all the best places.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yes, I am aware that I have a comma addiction. No, I do not have a beta.

Peter rolled his eyes even as he curled himself into Percy's hand.  Percy was whinging about his brothers picking on him, again, and Peter sincerely did not care.  Peter had gotten comfortable here, so much so that he'd stopped listening for news almost immediately; he knew that cuddling up to Percy while he complained would get him treats, though, so Peter had faithfully dragged his expanding body across the bed.

 

* * *

 

 

Sirius shook the Goblin's hand, thanking him for his hard work.  It had taken two years of working around the Ministry's watchers but the cottage was finally rebuilt and ready to move in.  Stonedagger smiled with all of his teeth, laughing when little Harry mimicked him; the Goblins loved Harry because Harry was a little sponge who learned whatever they felt like teaching him.  While having once been leery of letting his Godson interact with Goblins for very long (and never unattended) Sirius now laughed and turned away without a care, leaving the two to what would undoubtedly become another toddler sized lesson in asset management.

 

Goblins were strange, but then so were three year olds.

 

The Goblins had found them because of a slip of paper in Lily's file, one written by Peter that he'd spent two hours looking for when he 'lost' it; the slip had originally been intended for Dumbledore.  Peter had been too scared to tell James he lost it, and Lily hadn't wanted Dumbledore to know the secret anyway.  She'd given it to the Goblins, along with her updated will detailing who they were allowed to share it with, while out shopping for Harry's first birthday gifts.  She had also apparently left hints and clues for old friends to follow to the Goblins in desperate times; people like Andromeda Tonks and Alice Longbottom, whose mother in law found them peppered in the letters Alice had saved.  It was because of Augusta Longbottom that Sirius and Harry now had a House Elf who did their shopping and housekeeping, while Andy put her Healer's Certificate to work keeping up with Harry's inoculations and anything else that came up.  Andy's husband Ted had hired himself as Sirius' lawyer and was working with Amelia Bones to build the case for his innocence.

 

Andy had found the anomaly in Harry's head and the Goblins had removed it, immediately making moves to search the world for any others; they refused to tell the humans what it was, calling it only an abominable perversion of Magic Herself.

 

Before entering the house for one last walk through, Sirius looked to the rear of the garden where James and Lily lay; he hoped they would approve.

 

**

 

Yule was a grand spectacle in Potter Cottage that year, filled as it was with festive decorations, traditional feasts, and scores of Goblins.  Augusta Longbottom and the Tonks elders would try to stop over on one of the traditional days but they were understandably determined to keep their young wards from becoming party to what was technically an illegal action; that is to say, knowing the location of one Sirius Black and not turning him in.

 

Not that they could, not being the Secret Keeper.  Only Peter Pettigrew could turn Sirius in now, and he was too busy worrying that Sirius had turned _him_ in.

 

* * *

 

Years passed in this manner, with little Harry becoming less little but still quite young Harry under the careful guardianship of his loving Godfather.  Uncle Sirius made sure that Harry visited his parents at least once a week, encouraging him to share his successes and failures in equal measure.  He told stories of Mummy and Daddy, too, and Uncle Remus, Auntie Alice, and Uncle Frank so that Harry would know all of the people who loved him.  Gram Augusta wasn't his _real_ grandmother but she'd gone to school with Grandmum Dorea and Grandad Charlus and told loads of wonderful stories about them, as well as stories about her son Uncle Frank and his wife Auntie Alice; she'd also been Grandmum Dorea's cousin, which was close enough family for Harry to claim her.  She had a grandson named Neville who was Harry's Godbrother and told him loads of stories about Neville, too; Harry hoped to meet him some day.  Gram Augusta promised Harry that she was telling Neville stories about everyone, too, so that he could know his whole family.  Auntie Andy and Uncle Ted told stories of Uncle Sirius when he was young, and the pranks Daddy, Uncle Sirius, and Uncle Remus would pull when they were in school; some of them sounded a bit mean but Uncle Sirius explained that he'd been an idiot who sometimes made the others be mean and they always made him apologize afterward.

 

Everyone also taught Harry how to read and write and do his sums.  Auntie Andy and Gram Augusta taught him French, Italian, Latin, Spanish, Portuguese, and Esperanto.  Uncle Sirius and Uncle Ted taught him German, Swedish, Dutch, Swahili, and Mandarin.  The Goblins who came by everyday, and sometimes stayed for months at a time, taught him their own language as well as the languages of several other magical races, and every world language they knew between them.  Once he'd mastered basic sums the Goblins took over his mathematical education, working it into lessons on Estate Management.  Gram taught him politics while Auntie Andy took over manners and deportment; Uncles Sirius and Ted shared chivalry and sword handling.

 

By the age of five Harry had burned out the strange yew wand found in his destroyed nursery and had progressed to controlled, large scale, wandless magic.  Which, according to everything ever, was impossible.  The Goblins were overjoyed and gifted him with his first war hammer.  When they taught him how to use and store it safely before allowing him to keep it, Sirius made no protest.  Everyone knew that Goblin gifts were rare and well earned.  By age seven Harry had progressed from the 'common' runes taught through OWL level at Hogwarts to the advanced taught at NEWT level; by eight ( **and a half, Uncle Sirius!** ) he was learning the most obscure runes known to Magic, generally only learned by a handful of those who obtained their Mastery's (though not all).  Arithmancy had been learned with his mathematics, while his Potions lessons were taught by a surprisingly adept House Elf.

 

By age eleven Harry had created the two potions he would need to claim his Mastery, and by twelve he'd created a Philosopher's Stone, proving a Mastery of Alchemy.  Handwriting, politics, sword handling, manners, and deportment were never ending but otherwise the adults had run out of things to teach the child by his thirteenth birthday.

 

They'd ignored the Hogwarts Letters that had come when he was eleven, twelve, thirteen, and fourteen out of both necessity and because he'd far surpassed Hogwarts curriculum.  The letter that came just after Halloween when he was fourteen couldn't be ignored, however, and because of it Harry Potter would finally be attending Hogwarts.

 

* * *

 

 

Peter was terrified; Harry Potter's name had come from the Goblet of Fire.  Sirius was sure to recognize him.  Everything was ruined.

 

**

 

Ron Weasley ran a critical eye over his somewhat mangy rat, wondering what Scabbers' problem was.  Maybe he was just old?  Ron made a mental note to ask Hagrid and turned his attention back to the problem of how to get Viktor Krum's autograph.

 

 


End file.
